Apparatus for feeding cigarette mouthpiece components



R. PENZIAS Filed June 2, 1965 A Fat APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTE MOUTHPIECE COMPONENTS July 25, 1967 INVENTOR legit 7 1 $4 5 BY Ll tfun G20. QII HJZL LJAZSom ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,332,529 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTE MOUTHPIECE COMPONENTS Rolf Penzias, Deptford, London, England, assignor to The Molins Organisation Limited, London, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed June 2, 1965, Ser. No. 460,661 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 9, 1964, 23,870/ 64 Claims. (Cl. 19825) This invention relates to apparatus for feeding cigarette mouthpiece components and may with advantage be incorporated in machines also embodying the inventions of United States Patents Nos. 3,118,454, 3,131,612 and 3,143,202.

A common feature of component-feeding apparatus disclosed in the aforesaid applications, and the distinctive feature of the type of apparatus to which the present invention may be applied, is a rotatable member arranged for rotation about an axis substantially parallel to the direction of feed of components, said member being provided with a screw thread Whose leading face engages successive components and feeds them forwardly. Such a feeding member would appear capable of feeding components with accurate spacing between successive components but the accuracy of spacing tends to decrease as operating speed rises, due to bounce of the components ahead of the thread upon engagement thereby. In recent times, the speed of cigarette-making machines has risen, speeds of the order of 2,000 cigarettes per minute now being attainable, and it has become necessary for ancillary machinery, e.g. machines for making cigarette mouthpiece rod (for filter-typed cigarettes) to operate correspondingly faster than previously.

With a view to securing more accurately-spaced feeding of cigarette mouthpiece components in spite of operation at relatively high speeds, the present invention provides apparatus of the type defined above, in which a stationary support member extending below at least part of the length of the rotatable member, and so spaced from the latter that components to be fed are engageable by the screw thread while resting on the support member, is provided with means for retarding each component as it passes over the support member to ensure positive engagement between said component and said screw thread. Preferably the retarding means comprises means for applying suction "from below to at least one perforation in the top surface of the support member, so that a component passing over said support member tends to be urged against said support member and thus frictionally retarded until it is engaged by the leading edge of the screw thread and fed beyond said support member.

Alternatively, however, the retarding means may comprise friction pads disposed adjacent to said support member so as to be engaged by components passing thereover, or means for directing air jets across said support member in such direction as to exert a retarding force on the components.

In a preferred arrangement, the rotatable member (which for convenience will hereinafter be termed a worm) is placed so as to over-lap the delivery end of a conveyor belt upon which components are carried to the worm. A further conveyor belt may be arranged to receive components delivered by the worm, in which case the support member may be arranged to bridge a gap between adjoining ends of the two conveyor belts.

Where the components, after being brought into a desired spacing by the worm, are to be wrapped in paper to form a mouthpiece rod, the support member may bridge a gap between the delivery end of the first-mentioned con- "ice veyor belt and a paper strip fed up through the gap, at second conveyor belt being provided to support said paper strip.

In order that the invention may be well understood, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described, referring to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view, partly in section, of an apparatus embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view comprising part of FIGURE 1 drawn on a larger scale; and

FIGURE 3 is a detail view of a modification.

In the apparatus shown, a suction box 1 supports a perforated conveyor belt 2 which transports cigarette mouthpiece components C from right to left as seen in the drawing. Suction applied to the box 1 serves to create a pressure difference which holds the components C to the belt 2. At its left-hand or delivery end the belt 2 passes around a driving pulley 3. Above the delivery end of belt 2 lies a rotatable member or worm 4 comprising a body 5 of cylindrical form provided with a pair of upstanding helical ribs 6 i.e. a two-start thread. The Worm 4 is placed at such a height above the belt 2 that the ribs 6 pass through the path of the components C as the worm is rotated while the body 5 is clear of said path.

In operation of the apparatus, pulley 3 and worm 4 are rotated continuously, at suitably corresponding speeds, so that the ribs 6or more accurately the points at which the path of the components C is crossed by the ribs 6move forwardly in the direction of feed of the components at the speed of the belt 1 or, preferably, a slightly higher speed so that the ribs 6 engage the rear faces of components C and propel them forward. As the worm 4 extends beyond the delivery end of the belt 2, i.e. the point where the belt 2 passes around pulley 3 and hence away from the path of the components C, the components C continue to be fed forwardly after leaving belt 2. To support the components after belt 2 ceases to do so, a bridge member 7 is provided, the upper surface of said member 7 lying in the same horizontal plane as the surface of belt 2 upon which the components are carried. Said bridge member 7 is mounted close to the pulley 3 and on its far side lies close to a further pulley 8 around which a paper strip 9 is fed under the components C; the strip 9 is fed forward in the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of the member 7 and a further belt 10 is fed round a pulley 11 so as to lie under the paper strip 9 to support and propel the latter. An upper belt 12 carried by pulleys 13 has a horizontal lower run 14 extending from the left-hand end of the worm 4 to the delivery end of the apparatus (the left-hand end as seen in FIGURE 1) at the level of the uppermost parts of the components C so as to assist in feeding'the latter forward. The belts 10, 12 are driven at the same linear speed so that the paper strip 9 and components C are fed forward without change in their relative position, the operative runs of the belts 10,

12 being supported by plates 15. Beyond the belts 10, 12 may be placed known folding, gumming and cut-off devices (not shown) for folding and sealing paper strip 9 around components C so that a continuous mouthpiece rod is ultimately formed.

While they are on the belt 2, the components C are held to the perforated belt by the pressure difference between atmospheric pressure, eifective on their uppensurfaces, and a lower pressure effective on their lower surfaces due to the suction applied through suction box 1. Once each component C is engaged 'by one of the ribs 6 of worm 4, the longitudinal position of that component is determined exactly so long as its contact with the rib 6 is maintained. To ensure this, the upper surface of the 3 bridge member 7 has a perforation 16 (FIGURE 2) communicating with a transverse duct 17 through which suction is applied to said perforation.

As each component C passes over said perforation 16, it will be urged against the bridge member 7 due to the pressure difference between its upper and lower surfaces; as a result the component will be frictionally retarded, if it is not being positively driven by having one of the ribs 6 in engagement with its rear face, until such en gagement occurs, whereafter the component C will be advanced at the desired speed determined by the speed of rotation of the worm.

It is preferred that the perforation 16 be so placed on the bridge member 7 that the distance from said perforation to the point where components C come into contact with the upper belt 12 does not exceed the length of the shortest component C to be fed; when this condition is satisfied, it will be appreciated that the suction applied through the perforations will retard each component, then a rib 6 will engage the component and move it forward, and the leading end of the component will be engaged by the upper belt 12 before the rear end of the component has passed the perforation 16, thus correct positioning of components is preserved as once each component is retarded as explained, the frictional retarding force is maintained, ensuring that the component remains in contact with the rib 6, until entry under belt 12 ensures that the position of the component (relative to the next preceding component) cannot change.

FIGURE 3 shows (on a yet larger scale) a modified form of the bridge member 7, which as will readily be seen has four perforations 16a in place of the single perforation 16 of FIGURES 1 and 2, all the perforations 16a communicating with the duct 17. It has been found that use of a plurality of perforations is preferable at higher speeds of operation, and that the higher the speed desired, the greater the number of perforations which it is desirable to provide.

The appartus which has been described in detail being only one preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in the details thereof without departure from the scope of the invention.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus for feeding cigarette mouthpiece components along a defined path comprising a rotatable member, a screw thread on said rotatable member, the rotatable member being rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the path of the components, means for conveying said components along said path to said support member, coacting means for receiving said com ponents from said support member, said support member bridging the gap between said conveying means and said coacting means being disposed to extend below at least a downstream end part of said rotatable member, said rotatable member being spaced from said support member such that components to be fed are engageable by said screw thread while resting on the support member for spacing and pushing said components off of said support member, the improvement comprising retarding means arranged to retard each component as it passes over the support member to insure positive driving engagement between each component and said screw thread to move said component past the retarding means.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the retarding means comprises at least one perforation in the top surface of the support member and means for applying suction from below to said perforation.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support member overlaps both said conveying means and one of said coacting means.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of said coacting means comprises a paper strip and said apparatus comprises a further conveyor position such that said paper strip is supported and propelled thereby when components are received from said support member.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein another of said coacting means comprises a continuous conveyor belt having a horizontal lower run spaced above said paper strip at the level of the uppermost parts of said components on said paper strip, whereby said components may be conveyed by said coacting means without change in the relative positions of said components.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,143,202 8/1964 Rowlands 19834 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Examiner.

A. C. HODGSON, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3 ,332 ,529 July 25 1967 Rolf Penzias error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby certified that t the said Letters Patent should read as ent requiring correction and the corrected below.

Column 4, line 3, after "components, insert a support member, line 7, for "the gap" read a gap line 8, after "means" insert and Signed and sealed this 18th day of March 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTE MOUTHPIECE COMPONENTS ALONG A DEFINED PATH COMPRISING A ROTATABLE MEMBER, A SCREW THREAD ON SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER, THE ROTATABLE MEMBER BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF THE COMPONENTS, MEANS FOR CONVEYING SAID COMPONENTS ALONG SAID PATH TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, COACTING MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID COMPONENTS FROM SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, SAID SUPPORT MEMBER BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SAID CONVEYING MEANS AND SAID COACTING MEANS BEING DISPOSED TO EXTEND BELOW AT LEAST A DOWNSTREAM END PART OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER, SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM SAID SUPPORT MEMBER SUCH THAT COMPONENTS TO BE FED ARE ENGAGEABLE BY SAID SCREW THREAD WHILE RESTING ON THE SUPPORT MEMBER FOR SPACING AND PUSHING SAID COMPONENTS OFF OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING RETARDING MEANS ARRANGED TO RETARD EACH COMPONENT AS IT PASSES OVER THE SUPPORT MEMBER TO INSURE POSITIVE DRIVING ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN EACH COMPONENT AND SAID SCREW THREAD TO MOVE SAID COMPONENT PAST THE RETARDING MEANS. 